1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an inkjet apparatus provided with an ink mist collection mechanism.
2. Description of the Related Art
Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2008-80495 discusses an inkjet apparatus provided with a mist collection mechanism for controlling scatter of ink mist generated from an inkjet head. The mist collection mechanism sucks in gas in the apparatus and traps the ink mist with a fine filter made of a porous member, a mesh member, etc. The filter is clogged with the trapped ink mist, and accordingly the filter is configured to be replaceable regularly.
Although a subject field is different from the inkjet apparatus field, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2006-26620 discusses a liquid filter for trapping oil mist in gas. The gas is blown into liquid and is allowed passage through the liquid as bubbles to cause the oil mist in the gas to be dissolved in the liquid so as to remove the oil mist in the gas.
In the mechanism discussed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2008-80495, resistance in passing the gas through the filter gradually increases as the filter clogging progresses. Then, the suction power of the gas, that is, the performance of the ink mist collection is declining. Therefore, in order to maintain the performance of the ink mist collection, maintenance operation of filter replacement is regularly required.
To improve the filter performance, for example, the liquid filter discussed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2006-26620 can be used. In the technique in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2006-26620, the liquid filter is configured to blow pressured gas compressed by a compressor and an air tank into a solution. Thus, while the gas containing suspended mist passes through the compressor and the air tank, the mist adheres to the inside, and the clogging accumulates. As a result, maintenance such as disassembly and cleaning is required in a short cycle. Especially, the air compressor has a complicated structure and it is not easy to disassemble and clean up the air compressor. Accordingly, it disturbs practical use of the filter if the air compressor becomes unusable in a short period.